Be Still
by Irene
Summary: Romance for H/A and J/J. Turning into a dark romance as supernatural elements enter. Jessie is unraveling & pushing Jonny away. Next Chapter up! Titled: Monsters
1. Default Chapter

            I do not own the Quest's or anything associated with JQ

            I do own Alleyah, Aisha and Marcus.

            Mild **HR** between **J&J** and **H&A**.

            The poem was written by Kahlil Gibran and it is titled _Be Still, My Heart._

* * * *    **Notice** the rating change from PG-13 to R.  It's because of 'Morning After cont.'  Did it just to be safe and to give myself more room to move later.

* * * *    This is a note to anyone who reads any of my other work.

                        In my previous work all the stories take place primarily during sophomore year.  In these stories I have a character I created named Claire.  In an up coming (but not finished work) Claire is murdered and the case goes unsolved.  This is brought up in Part Two of Be Still.  You haven't missed anything, I'm just really behind.  Sorry!

**_The Alleyah Series_**

_Ancient Arabic literature classifies love into seven different shades._

Shade One 

_HUB . . . their eyes meet, it is like a touch. . . a spark . . . Attraction._

Be Still 

By

Irene

Part One 

**Six months in the past. . . **

**  
**  
                                _Be still, my heart. Space does not hear you._  
  
        It came to him.  
        It was a soft sigh of someone dying. A mourning of a soul drifting in-between the velvet darkness of death and the light of life. It called to him and brought him to it.  
        To her.  
  
                                _Be still, my heart. The ether heavy with   
_                               _mourning and with lamentations, will not hear your songs_.  
  
        The room was simple and almost empty. A soft glow of candlelight broke the night's touch but not the thickness of death that sat heavy in the room.  
        In the corner was a bed and Hadji felt his inner self drawn to the soul that laid in it. He expected to see in aged person, someone who was ready to pass over. Instead, he saw a young woman no older then himself. It brought him to his knees.  
        She was a small person, petite in build with long silk like jet black hair. She breathed with great difficulty, straining on each intake of air. Her long black hair spilled off her pillow and dangled onto the wood floor. Beads of perspiration covered her face and ran down her neck. Her face was an angels and without thought Hadji reached out to stroke a few strands of hair from her forehead.  
        Hadji leaned in closer and gently brushed her cheek. She felt like fire under his fingers. He could feel a wave of the night run through her and her heart skipped a beat. Slowly, she opened her eyes and revealed the loveliest shade of violet Hadji had ever seen.  
  
        "Haresh?" Her voice was a whisper that quickly faded as she struggled to see in the dim light. She turned her face towards Hadji's and tried to focus.  
        Hadji was at a loss for words. She knew his father? How?  
  
      "No," Hadji whispered. His eyes studied hers. She still had some life in her and most likely couldn't see him.  
  
      "I was wondering," her eyes became distant and clouded as she spoke. "I was wondering if this is what death looks like?"  
  
        He bravely took his hand and rubbed the side of her cheek. He traced her full lips with his finger and trembled as her breath warmed his skin.  
  
        "No," Hadji replied. " Please, you must tell me where you are so I can help you."  
  
        "No," she whispered painfully. "Leave, I want to be alone."  
  
        Hadji began to protest but her suddenly found himself sitting up in his bed. He had literally been through back into his body.  Hadji blinked several times and took a deep breath. His mind began to roll over what had just happened.  
        A dream?  
        No.   
        Hadji positioned himself on his floor and began to meditate. He quieted himself and reached out for the voice from beyond, finding only silence.  
  
                    _Be still, for the phantoms of the night will not heed the _

_whisper of you mysteries,  
And the procession of darkness will not halt before_

_ your dreams.___


	2. Present Day Bangalore

Present Day Bangalore 

The palace was in the midst of spring-cleaning. Neela was preparing for guests of great importance and wanted to make a good impression.  
  
       "These business men are responsible for trade through out Europe. They can offer many opportunities for our people."  
  
       Hadji smiled down at his mother.  
  
       "It will go well mother." He assured. He held back his true opinion of these 'business men' as best as he could. In his personal opinion, they were being difficult with the talks because they had to deal with a strong willed woman of authority, which Neela happened to be. Such narrow mindedness angered the other wise even tempered Sultan.  
       The small woman returned the smile and her eyes glowed as she hugged her son.  
  
       "Thank you my son." She took his arm and they walked down the hallway. "I believe it will."  
  
       Neela noted to herself how much Hadji had grown in the last year. He was now a full 6'3" and no longer had any traces of a child in his face. She smiled as she realized how much he resembled his father Haresh when he was 18. It filled her with pride.  
  
       "Dr. Quest is looking forward to the meeting." Hadji replied after a moment of silence.  
  
       "His presence will be of a great influence. I admit his show of support is needed." Neela laughed slightly as a thought crossed her mind. "His 'company' will be a breath of fresh air as well."

            "Jonny and Jessie are looking forward to this. They'll arrive tomorrow morning." Hadji's voice was slightly low and he knew his mother could tell he had something on his mind.  
       It wasn't something he'd talked about with anyone. Not even Jonny or Jessie. With his past history with women, he decided it was a secret he'd keep to himself. Now, if only he could stop thinking about her. Hadji's heart ached within his chest.  
       _Who are you? _ Who was she?  
       Hadji stopped walking. He was frozen in his place with a realization that she might not be with this earth any longer.  
  
       "Hadji?" Neela's dark eyes filled with concern.  
  
       "Forgive me mother." Hadji's facial expression softened. "I am tired. Please excuse my rude behavior."  
  
       "Perhaps you should turn in." She suggested as the concern lingered in her eyes.  
  
       Hadji placed her hand in his and bowed his head.   
  
       "Yes, I think I will. Good night mother."

            The moonlight flooded the Sultan's bedroom. It was undisturbed by unnatural light. Hadji preferred meditating when it was like this. He sat on the floor and began his breathing exercises. Slowly, his mind lifted and once again his soul searched for a voice he'd only heard once and was doubting he had ever heard it in the first place.  
        From the outside, Hadji would have appeared cut and shaped from marble. Toned flesh and his tamed muscular figure had resulted from years of his yogi practices. His facial features had hardened in the last year. This gave his appearance a sharpness that intimidated those around him. It was his eyes that gave him away. Soft gentle eyes that eased tension and waved anger aside with a glance. Eyes gave way to the soul, the true self.  
       Hadji couldn't help but remember the eyes of the young women he'd seen. Her eyes were sad and hopeless. They revealed a soul so lonely that it reached out for any life that could hear it.  
       Then, there was his father.  
      His mother never mentioned any relatives or family friends. The woman referred to his father by his first name.  
      Hadji sighed to himself. So many questions.  
      _Where are you? _His spirit begged without relief.

**The Next Morning**  
  
  


       "Good to see you my friends!" Hadji greeted Jessie and Jonny as they exited Pasha's helicopter.  
  
       "You look good Hadji," Jessie smiled warmly. She hadn't realized how much she'd truly missed him until that moment.  
  
       "All dressed up for us your highness?" Jonny teased as Bandit sniffed Hadji's feet and wagged his tail.  
       Hadji looked down at his clothes and smiled.  
  
       "Mother has a meeting during lunch and it's vital that I'm there."  
  
       "Yes," Neela walked up and smiled warmly at Jessie and Jonny. " Rather unexpected I'm afraid."  
  
       "I hope we aren't in the way," Jessie replied.  
  
       "No, not at all." Neela placed her hand on Jessie's arm.  
  
       "Hadji! You have to see what dad built this time," Hadji followed Jonny to one of his bags on the ground.  
  
       "We'll make sure the bags go to where they need to," Race assured Neela as he gestured to Pasha.  
  
       "Neela, what's wrong?" Jessie asked as they walked through the garden to the side entrance of the palace. Jessie's instincts told her she was about to hear something very troubling.  
  
       "I wanted to ask if you knew what was distracting my son?" Neela began slowly.  
  
       "Still?" Jessie was taken back. Hadji had been distracted just before he left. She had decided it was because he felt it was time to become a full time Sultan and would be leaving his home for good. She remembered how gut wrenching it was to watch him pack his belongings and leave the Quest Compound for the last time.  
  
       "He just seems so distant," Neela commented. " I was hoping he'd mentioned something to you."  
  
       "He hasn't said anything to Jonny or me," Jessie confessed. She wouldn't have minded if Hadji had confided in her. He never told her anything that he wouldn't tell Jonny. A twinge of hurt brushed through her.  
  
       "I see," Neela wrung her hands and sighed.  
  
       "I'm sure he's fine Neela," Jessie assured. " Hadji is the last person anyone would need to worry about. He can work things out for himself."  
  
       "I just have concerns over this lunch meeting and I don't know how he'll handle it." Neela stopped and looked at Jessie. "It appears that he'll be put in a rather difficult position. I'm glad you and Jonny are here with him."  
  
       "That's the definite advantage to summer vacations." Jessie smiled. Neela excused herself and Jessie watched her as she disappeared into the palace. On the inside, Jessie felt as though Neela was really concerned for her. She considered herself warned.  
       Bandit came up from behind and barked at Jessie. She knelt down and picked him up. He lovingly licked her face and sighed.  
  
       "Earth to Jess," Jonny called. He and Hadji walked up from behind and with one of Jonny's bags. "You seemed a thousand miles away."  
  
       "Can't you tell when someone is ignoring you?" she raised an eyebrow.  
  
       "Ignore me? What girl could resist me?" Jonny smiled and his eyes lit up as Jessie stood evenly on her feet and tilted her head.  
  
       "Listen up hot shot," the fired hair girl began but she was cut off by her father.  
  
       "Three months away from Hadji and you two are already arguing?" Race smiled and eyed Jonny with an all knowing _'I just saved your butt look.'_ "He's not going to invite us back if this is all he hears."  
  
       "Believe me Race," Hadji smiled widely. "I've missed this most of all."  
        Race laughed and the small group disappeared into the palace.


	3. Eyes

The Lunch 

Neela sat at the end of the massive table. She looked down at her reflection in the porcelain plate laid out before her. The light tapping of footsteps echoed down the hall. She took a deep breath. Hadji was coming and would be here shortly. She looked at her guest and smiled.  
  
  
       Hadji pulled his shirt down and checked his appearance quickly. He needed to focus on what was  
before him, not a vision that had practically threaded itself into every aspect of his life. He slept, ate and breathed a fire that had been sparked in violet eyes of a perfect stranger. His heart began to twist within his chest and he was suddenly breathless.  
  
      _'Is this what death looks like?'_   
  
       He had no words for such a question. Maybe for her, it was.  
  
      _Enough,_ He commanded himself. _I must focus. _  
  
       Hadji stood before the huge doors and took a deep breath, only to lose it completely when his guard  
opened the doors.  
  
       "Alleyah," Neela gestured to the young woman next to her. "This is my son, Hadji."  
  
       Violet eyes lit up Hadji's spirit and held him in place. They were dark and distant.  
       She rose from her seat and bowed her head politely. Her long black hair fell just before her waist it was held back with a tie just below her shoulders. She wore an oriental style top and loose black pants. She was only slightly taller then his mother. Her face was emotionless. Hadji gave his most courteous bow.  
  
       "It is a pleasure to meet you," his voice escaped him and his mind was a blank. He was truly  
beside himself.  
  
      _Does she remember me? _  
  
       "Thank you," she sat down slowly. "It is nice to meet you as well."  
  
       Hadji sat across from her, still imprisoned in her eyes and dazed by her lovely face.  
       The servants moved quickly to place the modest meal out before them. Neela had kept it simple since  
they would be having a rather larger dinner in a few short hours. Alleyah only helped herself to a bowl of  
soup. She seemed weak and tired.  
       Hadji took in every move she made. Every breath and every detail of her, he burned into memory. Her  
movement was smooth and fluid in nature. Even laying a napkin across her lap seemed equal to a dance. Her  
eyes thrilled him the most. That was the best word he could come up with as they moved from him to his  
mother, whom ever was speaking.  
       Alleyah seemed at ease, but Hadji felt this was a thick layer of protection that she surrounded herself  
with. One mask of many.  
  
       "Neela?" Alleyah spoke softly.  
  
       _I have seen things that have left my without words to describe awe-inspiring events. _  
  
       "I think we should discuss why I needed to be here."  
  
       _I have seen things that have filled me with so many words I could fill a library._   
  
       "Alleyah," Neela began slowly. "Hadji."  
  
        _I have never been in both places at once. _  
  
       "Hadji?" Neela broke his thoughts.  
  
       "Yes?" Hadji turned to her suddenly. He realized he had been staring though Alleyah seem oblivious to it.  
  
       "It is tradition in our family to arrange marriages of for our children when they are young. It signifies a peace in our families and a joining that should not ever be broken. When you were young this arrangement was made between the two of you."  
  
       "What?" Hadji leaned in forward in disbelief.  
  
       Neela raised her hand and smiled at her son.  
  
       "It is tradition Hadji, not a law in our family."  
  
       "There is a problem?" Alleyah asked.  
  
       "Haresh," Neela sighed for a moment in memory of her husband. She gazed at the two young people before her. " He for saw a strength in this union that he wished to be taken seriously if possible."  
  
        Hadji leaned back in his chair. He looked across the table at Alleyah. She sat still as stone with her  
eyes closed.  
       "You two are adults now." Neela broke the silence. " You can make your own decisions. But I  
wanted you to make it knowing Haresh's wishes. If possible, he wanted you to give this a year before  
breaking the union."

"A year," Alleyah echoed.  
  
       "Neither of you are committed to any other, are you?" Neela said this primarily watching Alleyah for a response.  
  
       "I am committed to my studies. To my music and art." Alleyah replied. "I've worked very hard and have much I wish to accomplish."  
  
       "You cannot give this one year?" Neela more stated this then requested.  
  
       Alleyah opened her eyes slowly and looked straight into Hadji's. Her eyes were tired, but very captivating. Hadji wanted to look away but they owned him.  
  
       "I will refuse," she said evenly.  
  
       "Mother," Hadji began slowly. "This is rather sudden and old fashion."  
  
       "You were missing," Neela began. "Then you returned to me. You were no longer four but sixteen. Your father passed away long ago but I remember his desires and dreams he had for you. For both of you."  
  
       "This is unrealistic," Alleyah whispered.  
  
       "I have given this thought for two years. This is the right thing. I can feel it." Neela sat calmly and stead fast in her decision.  
  
       Hadji glanced at Alleyah who looked down at her empty bowl of soup. She rubbed her temple and closed her eyes.  
  
       "Your majesty?" Came a voice.  
  
       "Yes, what is it?" Hadji called the young man in.  
  
       "Forgive me," he bowed. " A message came for you."  
  
       "What is it?" Neela inquired.  
  
       "Count Marcus will not be able to attend the dinner. He sends his sincere apologies and says he will try to arrive in a few days to talk with your majesties concerning the boarder conflict."  
  
       "Send a message that he will be missed and we look forward to his visit." Hadji replied. The young man bowed and left quickly.  
Count Marcus would be missed. He had been a strong supporter. Hadji sighed. What other surprises awaited him in this day?  
  
       "It would be a lie," Alleyah's smooth voice brought them back to the issue at hand. "I will not live a lie. Our hearts are separate, they are not joined. To sacrifice a year to humor this would be insulting to the whole principle behind marriage to begin with."   
  
       Alleyah rose to her feet. "I will not discuss this anymore today. I am very tired and must rest."  
  
       Hadji watched as she walked out the doors. His heart numbed as he tried to think of something he could say. Neela said nothing. Hadji's mind was now flooded with more questions then ever before.  
  
       _'This is the right thing. I can feel it.' _ His mother's words filled him.  
  
       If Hadji had not had the incident with Alleyah six months ago, he would have protested more. Now, some how he felt it was right as well.


	4. The Reality

The Reality 

"Hadji?" Jonny called from his room as Hadji walked by. He turned around and entered the room his two closes friends were in. Jessie and Jonny looked at him with concern.  
  
       "Oh, my friends." Hadji sat down next to Bandit and took a deep breath.  
  
       "I'm afraid to ask how your lunch went." Jessie smiled warmly.  
  
       Hadji informed them about Alleyah and the arrangement his father wanted. He still couldn't bring himself to tell them about the encounter he had with six months ago. He felt that woudl destroy something private. The secret was something that he was beginning to realize wasn't his to share.  
       Jonny's eyes grew large. Jessie lost her voice and felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She bit her lower lip and tried to think of something to say.  
  
       _This is why Neela had asked if Hadji had said anything to me._ Jessie realized. _She wanted to see if his mood had to do with any feelings towards me.  
_  
       "Is she pretty?" Jonny smiled.  
  
       "She is," Hadji looked past his friends and searched for words to describe his heart.  
  
       "That pretty?" Jonny laughted until Jessie gave him a dirty look.  
  
       "Neela said it was tradition, not the law." Jessie reminded him. "If you decide not to do this you really don't have to. It sounds like Alleyah has already made her decision."  
  
       "Yes, it seems she has." Hadji folded his hands and closed his eyes. His heart felt the full rejection of her words when she had looked into his eyes and refused the arrangement. He could not blame her.  
  
       "If you both go to Neela, I'm sure she wont press this anymore." Jessie became more confident as she thought out the arrangement more and more.  
  
       "Unless, you want to do this?" Jonny added.  
  
       "It is not practical." Hadji's voice sounded as though he had rehearsed the words over and over in his head to convince himself.  
  
       "But," Jonny pressed with a knowing grin.  
  
       "There is more." Hadji looked at his friends wearily and for the first time chose to stand alone. "I cannot discuss it at this time. It is personal."

Jessie walked the palace garden alone. She needed to clear her head and figure out her heart. Jonny had run off to meet Dr. Quest along with her dad and Jessie knew this would probably be her last chance for some privacey before the guests arrived.  
       The most surprising thing was the feeling of hurt for Hadji. He really did seem to want this. Rather then feeling jealous, she was now trying to find a way for him to work this out. His father makes one request of him and who is he to even think of not giving it a try? One year in his life, was that too much for a father to ask of any son?  
  
       "Jessie?"   
  
       Jessie turned and smiled at Neela.  
  
       "Are you all right?" She asked gently.  
  
       "I'm fine," Jessie's smile widened as she realized the truth in her words as she spoke.  
  
       "I'm glad," Neela fell into step with her and they walked together. "Dr. Quest is getting settled in his room. I'm afraid this dinner will be rather long and boring for you and Jonny."  
  
       "Dr. Quest and Dad have dragged us all over the world," Jessie smiled as she remembered some of the dinners held for scientist. Not a party happening group, as Jonny would have put it. "We'll be fine."


	5. His Heart On His Sleeve

His Heart On His Sleeve 

          Hadji looked at the door and started to lose his nerve. Only a moment ago had the idea of speaking to Alleyah without his mother entered into his mind like a flash of brilliance. But now the spontaneous rush was gone and he was losing a battle with the reality.  
  
       "What's the matter man?" Came a gruff voice.  
  
       "Pasha," Hadji lowered his voice. He did not wish Alleyah to hear him lurking outside her bedroom door.  
  
       "You know kid," Pasha smiled. " This door isn't the one you need to worry about getting through."  
  
       Hadji watched his mentor carefully.  
  
       "She's deep within herself," Pasha replied.  
  
       "I can see that," Hadji admitted.  
  
       "Be patient," Pasha advised. "You look sharp. Is this _just_ for dinner?"  
  
       "Yes," Hadji smiled.  
  
       "Good luck!" Pasha patted him on the back and before Hadji knew what was happening, Pasha turned and knocked on Alleyah's door before he walked away.  
  
       "Your majesty," bowed a servant girl as she opened the door for him.  
  
       Hadji walked in and saw Alleyah standing before him. He was completely taken back by her appearance. She was dressed in the more traditional Indian clothing, but not as conservative as what his mother wore. Her top was a light purple with a dark purple embroidered into it. He tried not to look at her stomach too long as his eyes sunk down to her long flowing saree. Her hair was pulled up into a twist upon her head. She pulled a purple sash around her shoulders and waited for him to speak.  
  
       "I do not mean to intrude," Hadji began slowly. Alleyah did not seem to notice his nervous behavior.  
  
       "It is no intrusion," she replied simply. "It is your home. I will not participate in the marriage arrangement. I wish to honor Haresh but I will not support a lie."  
  
       "I understand," Hadji replied gently. Her eyes glowed against her outfit. "I wanted to check on you to see how you were feelling. You did not seem well earlier."  
  
       "I am still recovering from a long illness. That is all."  
  
       Hadji's eyes lit up when she spoke. If there had ever been any question in his mind concerning whether or not he had met with her before, it was gone.  
  
       "If there is anything you need, please just ask me."   
  
       "There you are!" Neela entered the rom briskly and hurried to Hadji. "Our guests are starting to arrive. We must greet them."  
  
       "Of course," Hadji bowed down to Alleyah from his waist and walked away. Alleyah revealed nothing in her face but her eyes softened at the gesture of respect. Neela noticed this as well and it strengthened her earlier decision.


	6. The Confessions

**The Dinner**  
  


  
       "She is cute." Jonny whispered from the side of his mouth.  
  
       "She's lovely." Jessie admitted. She looked down the table at the quiet girl. Alleyah sat next to Neela, almost at the end of the table. Even in the distance, Jessie could see the brilliance of Alleyah's eyes.  
  
       "Not as lovely as you," Jonny smiled. He really did mean that, but he also enjoyed the fact that it got a rise out of his favorite red head.  
  
       "All right Quest," Jessie's tone was full of warning but the compliment was appreciated.  
  
       There were twenty-three guests in all. This of course counted Jonny, Jessie and Alleyah. Hadji was pleased with the dinner until General Canti started conversation on politics and the home. Hadji was well aware that the General was set in his ways. This concerned women and their place in the world.  
       Jessie had to bite her lip several times and allow Dr. Quest and Hadji to handle the situation that was beginning to arise from the conversation.  
  
       "General," Dr. Quest's voice was firm and patient. "With all do respect sir, women have made considerable contributions in science, politics and still have wonderful family lives."  
  
       "Women came after man for a reason," the General's voice was rough and stern. "To serve."  
  
       "That is a very interesting perspective you have, General."  
  
       The voice was smooth and unemotional. All eyes turned and Jessie held her breath as Alleyah looked down at the General with unshaken violet eyes.  
  
       "The cross upon your neck? What faith are you?" she asked.  
  
       "Catholic," the General spat. "If you are educated you will recall the story of Adam and Eve? Adam was made in the image of God. Eve was made from Adam not of God. Women are less because they were set there by the creator. So it has been through out history."  
  
       "I am aware of Adam and Eve," Alleyah's voice was even. Jessie noticed that Alleyah had not even flinched when the General insulted her intelligence. "I believe your God favors women tremendously."  
  
       People shifted uneasily and Neela looked at Alleyah questionably. Hadji and Dr. Quest exchanged confused glances and Race kept a close eye on the General to make sure this didn't turn into a fight.  
  
       "Favor?" Ther Gerneral laughed so hard tears formed in his eyes. "Have you heard of Jezebel?"  
  
       "Yes," Alleyah replied. "I was thinking of someone in trusted with the greatest responsibility of all. Her name was Mary. I'm sure you are more aware of her son. It is the fact that it started with a woman being chosen to carry God's child. For a 'lower life form' God not only in trusted her but joined his soul with her body to bring forth Jesus".  
  
       Jonny hid a smile. Jessie refused to conceal hers. Hadji also smiled at this and Dr. Quest nodded his head.  
  
       "Good show," he whispered.  
  
       Alleyah rose from her seat and bowed her head.   
  
       "I'm afraid I will be retiring now."  
  
       All eyes followed her as she floated to the door. Before disappearing into the hall she turned around and almost smiled.  
  
       "Good night," she paused just long enough to make her point. "Gentlemen."  
  
       Jonny and Jessie exchanged looks of approval. Jessie looked over to Hadji who was still looking in the direction Alleyah had left.  
  
       Pasha rose from his seat and raised his glass.  
  
       "Here's to us, " he smiled. "Here's to us and what we make of what we have."  
  
       Cheers were heard all around though they knew they were really toasting Alleyah.

Confessions 

"That was awesome!" Jonny practically yelled as he and Jessie entered the garden for some air.  
  
        "Surprising," Jessie replied. "I didn't think she would speak. She seems very withdrawn and sad."  
  
       "His face! I'll never forget his face!" Jonny smiled at Jessie and admired her from afar.  
  
       "It wasn't like she was saying it to get a reaction from him though." Jessie reflected briefly  
on Alleyah's behavior. She sighed out loud and looked at Jonny.  
  
        "I wonder how things are going? I hope he doesn't give Neela and Hadji anymore trouble. What  
are you looking at?" Jessie crossed her arms and fumed.  
  
       "You," Jonny said simply as his light blue eyes lit up.  
  
       "Do you ever pay attention to what I'm saying?" Jessie flashed an angry glare.  
  
       "I hang on every word," Jonny smiled.  
  
       "I give up!" Jessie turned and retired to her room.  
  
       Jonny watched her disappear and he debated whether or not he should go after her to make amends.  
He decided he would wait until morning and returned to his room to a very happy Bandit.

"Never boring is it kid?" Pasha slapped Hadji on the back as he joined the young Sultan out on the balcony.

"No," Hadji replied.  He looked out across the garden.  The full moon always changed everything it touched and had a way of silencing the world.  Hadji wished he could stay with it longer but duty called. "How is the General?

"Fine," Pasha took a deep breath of night air.  "I'm going to make him a deal for parts on a ship."

"What?"  Hadji felt panic rise up in him.  "Pasha, you do not know anything about ships!"

"What's to know?  They just need to stay afloat," Pasha laughed.  "I'm joking kid.  The General is far from where he was at dinner.  I don't think he'll say anymore tonight."

"It is a shame," Hadji admitted.

"So, you going to go talk to her or what?"

"It is late," Hadji commented softly.

"Not that late," Pasha smiled. "Remember what I told you."

Be patient.

Hadji knocked lightly on the door.  The same servant who had greeted him earlier again appeared before him.  She blushed slightly as she let him in.

Alleyah was in a long, dark green robe.  She rose from the love seat she was laying on and set her book down.  Her eyes were filled with concern.

Hadji realized that his words at this moment could greatly influence whether or not Alleyah stayed.  His heart beat madly within his chest.  He wanted to touch her.  He wanted to touch her hand or her arm.  He wanted to do something to replace the concern in her eyes with trust and care.  

**            _/_**_Be still, my heart, be still until dawn./_

"I apologize if my outburst has compromised your situation," Alleyah spoke softly and still maintained control of her velvet voice.  She was so formal in her ways.  Only her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

            "You have done nothing but bring to light a truth that they could not deny," Hadji replied warmly.

            Alleyah's eyes returned to their unemotional state and Hadji could practically see the wall build up before him as she returned to her inner state of solitude.

            "Perhaps," she said. "But only for a moment."

            "It only takes a moment," Hadji spoke carefully.

                        _/For who so waits for the morning patiently will_

_                                    greet the morning with strength._

_                        And who so loves the light, by the light shall_

_                                    he be loved./_

Hadji held out his hand.  Alleyah was caught off guard and hesitated before she allowed him to take hers.  He admired the slim fingers and smooth skin.  To his surprise, she was shaking.  He kissed her fingers gently and held them just long enough to fill himself with her scent.  His heart begged for her to remember the encounter they had a few months back.

"Good night," he bowed and walked towards the door.

Hadji paused briefly and turned to look at Alleyah once more.  She remained right where he had left her, only her eyes were closed and she clenched her hand to her mouth.  Without a word, she slowly traced her cheek with her finger and slid down to her lips.  She followed the path exactly as he had left it when he first saw her in the little room all those months ago.

Hadji shut the door and retired to his room.  He inhaled her perfume from his clothes and walked in her presence until sleep forced itself upon him.

**End of Part One**


	7. The Past

One Week Later 

            **Dragons & The Lotus Flower **  
  
  
  
      Alleyah sat quietly in her room and looked from her sketchpad, down to her slim fingers.   
  
     Nothing.   
  
     The sketch was a rough pencil drawing of Jessie, frozen forever in a smile. Alleyah looked at her hands and turned them over.   
  
     Nothing.   
  
      She closed the sketchpad and slid the thin book into the desk drawer.   
  
       _I can't make it work. My hands don't know the way_.   
  
       Alleyah wrung her fingers in frustration and disappointment. Silencing her worst fears, she lowered her head and closed her eyes.   
  
       _I feel. . I feel. . Do I feel?_   
  
       A shadow became animated behind her and slid across the floor playfully. Alleyah caught her breath and jerked her head up as cold wind moved through her.   
       The mysterious phantom disappeared out her window and became one with the night. Alleyah rose to her feet and combed the room with her violet eyes. A faint smell lingered in the room and filled her senses. She shivered slightly and shut the window.   
      She recognized the cologne.   
  
     "Marcus,"

**The Next Morning **  
  
  
       "Neela?" Jessie looked to her right and smiled slightly. " I don't want this to sound strange but I don't know how else to ask."   
       Jonny looked up from his plate and creased his brow in confusion.   
  
       "I understand," Neela replied. " Just ask and we will sort through it."   
  
       "Where is Alleyah from, exactly?" Jessie asked in a low careful breath. " It doesn't really matter, I don't mean to be rude but she's . ."   
  
       "Different," Jonny cut to the point and smiled at Neela. "Especially her eyes."   
  
       "Well," Neela placed her coffee cup down and Jessie was pretty sure Neela was rather amused by the question, more so then offended by it. 

"Let's see."   
  
       "I really don't mean to sound rude." Jessie added quickly.   


            "We're just curious." Jonny added, looking at Jessie with his cool blue eyes.   
  
       "Of course," Neela sat back and brought her hand to her chin as she brought back old memories. "Alleyah's mother was Indian but her father had a mixed decent. His mother was from China and his father was Indian. His name was Tomas. He was very popular man with the business community."   
  
       "What was her mother like?" Jessie wanted to know what kind of women would bring up a child to be so carefully guarded, as Alleyah appeared to be.

" Ishtar," Neela sat back in her chair and casually looked down at her cup of tea. " Ishtar was a woman filled with passion. She had a passion to experience the finer things in life. She was brought up in a traditional Indian family and fulfilled her duty."   
  
       "Her duty?" Jonny echoed.   
  
       "Yes," Neela averted her eyes and moved on. "It was unfortunate when they died. Alleyah was only four. Tragic."   
  
       "How?" Jessie watched Neela carefully as Neela raised her head and Jessie noticed the darkness in Neela's eyes. Suddenly, Neela seemed a lot older.   
  
       "A train wreck." Neela replied. "Her family was devastated. Ishtar didn't have her parents anymore. Tomas' mother took Alleyah in and raised her."   
  
       Jonny sat frozen in his seat. Rachel, Jessie looked over to him as he held a fork in mid-air. He's thinking about his mother.   
  
       "Hadji will be out until after lunch." Neela stood up. "I have some things I need to do as well. Please excuse me."   
  
       "Thank you Neela," Jessie smiled after her.   
  
       "That's a past," Jonny took a deep breath.   
  
       "I'm curious," Jessie took the tip of her finger and traced the edge of her glass.   
  
       "Still?" Jonny looked over the to the red head. "Neela told you what you wanted to know. What's left?"   
  
       "Weren't you listening?" Jesse's green eyes looked over to him slyly. "I'm curious about the things she didn't say."


	8. Her Voice

            "Aisha," Alleyah regarded the girl who sat across from her. Aisha looked up with surprised brown eyes.   
  
       "Is something wrong?" She asked as she rose to her feet and bent down to Alleyah who sat in her chair.   
  
       "Marcus will be here soon." Alleyah closed her eyes and placed a finger at her temple. " He's already on his way."   
       Aisha stood silently and watched Alleyah for a few minutes. She met Marcus once and didn't like him. Alleyah sensed this and made sure Aisha had little contact with him. Aisha had offered to travel with Alleyah and help her. She saw this as an opportunity to get away from her protective family, but Alleyah was more then she knew how to deal with. It was becoming clear that Alleyah was a women with secrets and Aisha couldn't put her finger on it but sometimes Alleyah looked as though she was dying. Today happened to be one of those days.   
       Alleyah was pale and it was clear she was in pain. The awkward silence started to make Aisha nervous and she started racking her mind at what to say when a knock at the door saved her.   
  
       "It may be Hadji," Aisha spoke softly as she inched towards the door. " Do you want to speak to him or should I tell him you aren't well?"   
  
       "It is not Hadji," Alleyah replied without opening her eyes.   
  
       "Hi," Jessie walked past Aisha as she held the door open for her and stood before Alleyah. "Are you okay? Do you want me to get Neela?"   
  
       "No," Alleyah's violet eyes gazed into Jessie, making her turn away.   
  
       "I just wanted to see how you were doing." Jessie sat on the love seat across from Alleyah and smiled. She had already decided she was going to have a real conversation with Alleyah, even if she had to ramble on the way Jonny did sometimes. "Jonny and I were going to walk through the shops and take in the countryside tomorrow. Would you like to go with us?"

            "Sure," Jessie forced a smile. _Damn. _  
  
       "I think you should go," Aisha bravely spoke to Alleyah. "I think the fresh air will do you good."   
  
       "I don't feel up to it," Alleyah replied with her usual unemotional tone. "The sun and heat would make it worse as well."   
  
       "Do you have a cold?" Jessie inquired.   
  
       "I'm recovering from a long illness. I don't feel that a day of walking will help," Alleyah leaned back in her seat.   
  
       "Well, we could just go out for lunch," Jessie offered. She nervously pulled her hair back and smiled. "Jonny is around all the time. I would like the opportunity to have a nice conversation that doesn't turn into a debate."   
  
       "Didn't you need to take care of a few things before you returned home?" Aisha asked meekly.   
  
       Jessie's heart sank. She thought of Hadji and if he knew Alleyah was planning on leaving. Would she be leaving any time soon? Jessie had to find out.   
  
       "I need to visit my mother's house," Alleyah's voice was low and almost a whisper. There was an unmistakable chill that claimed the air. " I need to settle some of her estate before I leave."   
  
       "I see," Jessie looked down at her folder hands that rested in her lap. Her curiosity was sparked once more at the mention of Alleyah's mother. "If you want to be alone, I understand."   
  
       "No," Alleyah stood up and took a deep breath. "You misunderstand my reaction."   
  
       Jessie shrank back slightly as Alleyah's eyes seemed to suck in the light from the room and for a brief moment, Jessie felt as though time stopped. The air froze and Jessie heard only her heart. Not the birds outside or the people in the hall, nothing could penetrate the trance she seemed to be forced into.   
  
       In a brief instance, it was just the two of them. Then, Alleyah spoke.   
  
       "I didn't like my mother."   
  
       Jessie felt as though the atmosphere around Alleyah actually reflected her feelings. A charge of anger and hurt seemed to sink in the space between them. It was as though the 'feelings' were coming in from the outside rather then from within. Jessie drowned in the foreign sensation until Alleyah looked away.   
       Jessie sat in silence and she tried to regain her senses.   
  
       _What just happened?_ Jessie blinked a few times. _Did I just imagine that?_   
  
       "Oh," Jessie tried to think of something to say but Alleyah rose from her seat and quietly shut herself into the bedroom part of her room.   
  
            "Her mother isn't a good topic," Aisha replied in a whisper. It was clear to Jessie that Aisha was a bit afraid of Alleyah. "Alleyah is still recovering from an illness. I didn't realized she was still having problems until just recently. Some days are good and others. . ."   
  
       "I see," Jessie sat up and rubbed her head. "How long was she ill?"   
  
       "A year," Aisha replied simply and turned her attention to folding her clothes.   
  
       "A year?" Jessie's green eyes became large. "What did the doctor say she had?"   
  
       "Doctor?" Aisha looked up. "There are no doctors who would travel to the Valley of the Dragon. Not even to help the dying. Alleyah wouldn't see anyone. My mother offered to help her grandmother. They didn't think she would make it. But she did."   
  
       Jessie sat in silence.


	9. The Ring

In the afternoon  
  
   
  
   
  
     Hadji walked slowly down the main hall. He arrived home sooner then he had planned and that left him some time to be alone with Alleyah.  
  
     Hadji clinched his jaw.  Soon he would know if Alleyah would stay for a while or leave.  
  
Hadji stopped outside her door.  
  
     Would he be able to let her leave?  
  
      'Yes. . .'   but at a great price to his heart.  
  
     Hadji raised his hand and knocked on the door.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I don't want to give you the wrong impression." Alleyah's voice was low and smooth.  
  
     "I understand," Hadji assured with a smile. He looked down at her as she sat in the small love seat in her bedchamber.  
  
    Alleyah's jet black hair laid across her back and her violet eyes looked into him, captivating him to no end.  He was lost when he was with her.  
  
"I will only stay for a few days." She continued without any feeling in her voice.  
  
     "Please, do what-ever makes you feel comfortable." Hadji urged with a heavy heart.  
  
'If not forever, then please stay here with me just a little longer.' His mind begged.  
  
     "Thank you," Alleyah replied.  
  
     "I have something for you." Hadji produced the small box he had behind his back and held it out to her.  To his delight, she seemed taken back and looked at him questionably.  
  
"What is it?" She asked, her voice was low and her eyes searched his with caution.  
  
     "Open it," Hadji placed the small satin box in her slim fingers and watched her carefully as she opened it.  
  
   
  
     "It's lovely," she exhaled. She traced the gold ring with a nervous finger and admired the detail in the small ring.  
  
"It's a friendship ring." Hadji knelt down and took the ring out of the box. "It is the.."  
  
     "The Lotus flower." She whispered.  
  
     "Yes," He smiled slightly and gazed into her deep violet eyes. "It is a flower with many stories from China to India and even Egypt."  
  
     Hadji watched her look down at the small ring he held it in between his fingers.  His face was inches from hers and he yearned to touch her soft cheek or trace the full lips with his own.  
  
Alleyah looked at him nervously.  It was the only time Hadji could recall her outwardly showing any true feeling. She seemed perplexed and for a moment, Hadji worried that he had over stepped his bounds  
  
     "I," she seemed to struggle for something to say.  
  
     "Don't want to give the wrong impression?" Hadji smiled lightly. "You wont, it is a gift of my friendship."  
  
"I just don't know how to do this." She whispered as she looked down at the ring.  
  
     Hadji looked at her eyes and felt his soul sigh.  It was such an odd thing to say.  
  
      'I just don't know how to do this?'  
  
     "Just like this," Hadji took the ring and slid it easily on her finger. He went against his better judgment and kissed her hand.  Alleyah smiled and Hadji, much to his relief, could feel her relax. 


	10. The Ring cont.

_            'I just don't know how to do this._'   
  
      _I don't know how to live._ Hadji's heart translated her words perfectly. It left him with a helpless feeling that haunted his soul.   
  
       "Hadji?" Neela rushed in frantically. "I'm glad you've returned!"   
  
       "What is it?" Hadji rose to his feet and looked into his mother's worried eyes.   
  
       "We just received a phone call!" Neela took him by the arm. "Count Marcus is in route."   
  
       "Please excuse me," Hadji bowed to Alleyah quickly and allowed his mother to usher him out the door.   
  
       Their abrupt departure left silence behind them.   
  
       Alleyah looked out the window and nervously twirled the ring on her finger. She looked down and stretched her fingers out.   
  
      _I am nothing. . . inside_. Alleyah decided. _Nothing to love and nothing to give. _  
  
       The mention of Count Marcus name made Alleyah extremely uneasy. Whether she wanted to or not, was no longer the issue. The confrontation was about to take place.

            "Valley of the Dragon," Jonny spoke the words as Jessie typed them into the computer. "Iris will have something for us."   
  
       "I hope so," Jessie pressed 'Enter' and they both waited for the computer to bring up information.   
  
      "Okay," Jonny and Jessie both leaned in closer to the glowing screen.   
  
                             _Valley of the Dragon. . . ancient Chinese legend where the   
                         dragon of the earth and the dragon of the heavens fought   
                         to their death. It is believed that the hills make up the body   
                         of the dragon of the earth and the dragon from heaven fell   
                          to the bottom of the lake_.   
  
       Jonny stopped reading and looked over to Jessie. She was glued to the screen and her green eyes took in every word.   
  
       "Dragons are very symbolic in China," Jessie pointed out. "Some even believed that the Emperor's descendants could be traced back to dragons."   
  
       "Pretty far fetched for me," Jonny smiled.   
  
       "Okay," Jessie looked into his eyes with a smile across her lips. "With everything we've seen, I have a hard time 'not' at least considering the possibilities. Legends do start from actual events."   
  
      "That may be true," Jonny leaned back and stretched his arms. "But dragons? Come on Jess."   
  
       Jessie ignored Jonny's last comment and picked-up where she left off.   
  
                            _The Valley of the Dragon received its name when numerous   
                        witnesses reported seeing dragons in the hills at dusk. The   
                         dragons have been blamed for many disappearances. Over   
                         three hundred have been reported as having vanished after   
                        entering the valley._   
  
       "Alleyah's family doesn't have a problem with this?" Jonny creased a brow.   
  
       "No," Jessie looked at the screen and reread the words. "What better place to hide someone, which I'm convinced Alleyah's grandmother was hiding her, then a place where no one is willing to go to. The map shows how dangerous that area is. People probably got lost, not eaten by dragons."

            "Now you're making more sense," Jonny looked at the screen.   
  
       "My friends," Hadji walked briskly to them. "Forgive me for interrupting you. I have just received news that Count Marcus is on his way here. He will be here any moment. I would like you to be with me to greet him."   
  
       "Of course," Jessie closed up the laptop and Jonny pulled the chair out for her as she stood.   
  
       "We're here for you Hadji," Jonny tilted his head back and smiled widely.   
  
       "Both of your fathers are respected in Count Marcus circle. He will be pleased if their children are there to represent them."   
  
       "Oh, represent?" Jessie smiled slyly and looked at Jonny from the corner of her eye mischievously. "Poor Dr. Quest."   
  
       "Hey!" Jonny pierced her with his ice blue eyes and Jessie turned away hiding her face as she blushed. Avoiding eye contact, she quickly fell into step with Hadji as he walked out the door.


	11. Marcus & Leyah

Marcus & Leyah  
  
   
  
      
  
The clouds stretched out and reached around, fully embracing all sides of the sky, consuming it in dreariness. A bland gray fell over the summer landscape and over shadowed the life surrounding the wooded area.  
  
The Palace seemed still as well.  Everyone within its walls moved quickly and quietly.  The servants talked in hushed tones and the animal life seemed frighteningly still.  The only brightness was in Neela's outfit that glowed against the dark sky.  She and her son stood patiently and waited for the helicopter. A low beating hovered in the hills and unnerved the horses in the nearby stable.  
  
     "Count Marcus?" Pasha inquired as he joined them.  
  
     "He called an hour ago and told us he was in route." Hadji informed him.  
  
     "Who is he?" Jonny asked.  
  
  " What?!" Jessie looked at Jonny with big green eyes and her jaw dropped. "That's what happens when you spend all your time playing in Quest World.  The rest of the real world passes you by."  
  
     "If I remember correctly," Jonny smiled down at her. "I'm usually in Quest World playing against you."  
  
     "Count Marcus is one of the richest men in the world. All the money was inherited but he works hard at improving the world with his scholarship programs, opening museums, sponsoring up and coming artists, I could go on forever." Jessie sighed as the black helicopter grew from a speck in the sky to large black bird.  
  
     "Count?" Jonny looked out at the incoming helicopter.  
  
"Count is his title.  He resides in a small part of Spain. It is his deeds that give his title any meaning." Neela smiled at Jonny. "He has done many things Jessie only listed a few."  
  
     "He and another member of the council I have been meeting with is in dispute over some land in Italy. Count Marcus owns it but the Ballori family feels it belongs to them." Hadji replied.  "Both their families have been friends with members of my family for generations. They meet here because they see Bangalore as neutral territory. They have asked me to over see their talks and possible negotiation."  
  
     "Lucky you," Jonny smiled. "You get to play Switzerland for a few days."  
  
 "I don't think he'll be discussing to much of that business." Hadji admitted. "I think he just wanted to see how the dinner he missed went."  
  
     "Well," Pasha rubbed his beard and sighed. " I think I'll leave this to you and Neela.  I've got business of my own to work on.  I don't think the Count will miss me."  
  
     "Everyone knows when you're missing from a scene Pasha." Jessie smiled as he laughed and walked away.  
  
This visit seemed to cross a line Hadji was not comfortable with. It would also take time away from Alleyah.  
  
     Hadji's heart sank. Though she had agreed to stay for a few days, she had not seemed to open up to him.  
  
   
  
      'Alleyah, will you never believe that I am worthy of your heart?' He asked a shadow image of her in his mind.  
  
Jonny was wrestling with is own demons.  As the helicopter began to land, he had a horrible feeling crawl up his spine and raise the hair on his neck. It was as though a dark cold hand reached in his chest and clutched his heart.  
  
     The helicopter door opened and a young man of no more then twenty- five years of age stepped out and smiled at the small welcoming committee.  
  
     The feeling sunk deeper into Jonny and he was unable to move.  
  
   
  
     "Welcome!" Hadji smiled and bowed politely.  
  
The Count was maybe 5'9" and he had sharp features that made him seem very intense.  His eyes were light gray and his jet black hair was pulled back in a ponytail that fell just below his shoulders.  His movements were quick and his smile seemed as though he had a secret behind it.  He walked briskly to Hadji to return the greeting and then took Neela's hand in his to kiss it.  
  
     "Always a pleasure." He replied with a deep calm voice. "Please accept my sincerest apology for not being here for the dinner."  
  
     "You were missed." Neela smiled warmly. " But all went well."  
  
Jonny watched and tried to decide just what it was he didn't like. What it was that over shadowed him suddenly.  
  
     "My," the Count focused in on Jessie and bowed before her. "I am humbled."  
  
      
  
     "Oh," Jessie smiled.  It was nice to run into a guy that had manners. Unlike some people she had to put up with. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. It's in honor."  
  
     "Thank you," the Counts eyes seemed to lighten up and he remained motionless for just a moment before he spoke. "Please forgive me, but you have the loveliest angelic face that I have ever seen."  
  
  "You're very kind." Jessie tried not to blush but the compliment was so surprising all she could do was look down at her feet.  
  
     "Hi," Jonny broke the moment the Count and Jessie seemed to be sharing. "I'm Jonny Quest."  
  
     "Dr. Quest's son?"  The Count gave a firm handshake. "Nice to meet you.  Is your father still here?"  
  
     "No," Neela replied quickly.  She broke the two from their lock and smoothed out the tension. "Sadly, Dr. Quest had to rush off for a short time."  
  
     Jonny watched the Count closely.  It was as though he responded as he felt he should respond.  
  
Jonny frowned. The Count was a big fake.  There was something else as well.  Something he couldn't put his finger on.  
  
  "Perhaps another time." He smiled.  He stole a glance at Jessie and Jonny felt his blood begin to boil.   
  
"If you will follow me," Hadji interrupted. " I will lead you to your room."  
  
     Jonny followed close behind being careful to stand directly in between the Count and Jessie. As they walked down the hall together, Jonny again felt a darkness brush through him that seemed to come from the Count himself. He finally found the word to describe the feeling in his gut.  
  
The word was evil. 


	12. Marcus & Leyah cont.

"I am wondering where Leyah is keeping herself while she stays here?" The Count inquired.  
  
     Everyone froze.  
  
     Jonny looked over to Jessie who stood with her mouth open in disbelief.  Hadji raised a brow and smiled slightly before he spoke.  
  
     "Are you referring to Alleyah?"  
  
"Alleyah?" The Count smiled slyly. "You are so formal. Yes, of course.  I've known Leyah all of her life. I was surprised to hear that she was staying here. I thought she'd be rushing off to prepare for her private art studies in Venice."  
  
    Jonny's eyes became slits.  Leyah?  How close were they?  Not 'too' close or she would have been down with everyone else to greet him. Wouldn't she?  
  
     "She spends a lot of her time reading." Jessie replied with a smile. Her mind was also trying to figure out the relationship. As far as she could tell they were as different as night and day. Of course, that could be the main attraction.  
  
  "I can't wait to see her." The Count's eyes seemed cloudy and Jonny felt disturbed.  
  
     Hadji was slightly perplexed as well.  Alleyah was so distant that he had not thought of her social circles let alone any friends.  Leyah? Could she be close to Count Marcus?  
  
     A horrible feeling of heartache filled Hadji's chest.  Perhaps, this was one of the reasons she was being so distant from him.  Her heart belonged to another man.  
  
     "This is wonderful of course!" The Count replied as he walked to the middle of his room and surveyed it with a smile. "Thank you."  
  
"If you need anything just ask." Neela smiled warmly and then she left the room.  
  
     "Count?" Jessie began.  
  
     "Marcus, I would like you to call me Marcus."  He focused in on her and for a brief moment Jessie felt herself becoming light headed. Marcus voice boomed suddenly and Jessie felt as though for a brief moment she had been in a dream. "All of you may call me Marcus."  
  
  "Yes," Jessie smiled and focused on what she wanted to know. "You and Alleyah are friends?  She hasn't mentioned that to any of us."  
  
     "We are one of the same. She is the sun and I am the moon. "He smiled and Jessie looked over to Hadji whose expression was unreadable.  
  
     "Well," Jonny interrupted. "I'm going to go.  I'll let you unpack and catch up with Hadji."  
  
     "Nice to have met you, Mr. Quest." Marcus smiled warmly but it was the use of Jonny's last name that let him know the Count disliked him as much as he disliked the Count.  
  
Jonny was glad to be out of the room.  He was glad to be away from the Count's manipulative voice and lingering eyes. Eyes that were dark and seemed to have a power over Jessie.  
  
      'Maybe it's time I researched Count Marcus and see what this guy is all about.' Jonny decided to himself.  
  
   As Jonny turned the corner, he was surprised to see Alleyah standingin the hallway.  He almost missed her completely.  She was so quiet and had such a way about her that she seemed to almost blend in to her surroundings which with her striking appearance, wouldn't seem possible. She stood silently next to the library door.  She must have heard him and stepped out to see who it was.  
  
    "Good afternoon." Jonny smiled.  He still wasn't very comfortable with Alleyah.  He found he was extremely attracted to her though he didn't have feelings for her the way he did for Jessie. In a strange way, he was intimidated by her rare beauty and he found himself staring at her even when all he intended was to catch a glance. He and Jessie had tried talking to her one day but she was very withdrawn and seemed disinterested.  
  
     "The Count asked about you."  
  
     "Did he," Alleyah replied rather then asked in her usual unemotional tone, but she did raise a brow and her lovely violet eyes looked away from him and down the direction he came.  
  
"Are you two friends?" Jonny asked even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.  
  
     "Count Marcus is not a friend of mine." Alleyah returned to the library and quietly shut the door behind her.  
  
      
  
"He's not my friend either," Jonny mumbled and he continued on to his room. 


	13. The Date

The Date  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"I don't need your permission to go out!"  Jessie yelled.  
  
     "That isn't it." Jonny fought to keep his voice low. The last thing he wanted was for Count Marcus to over hear the conversation or anyone else for that matter.  
  
     "I don't want you to go out with Marcus." Jessie placed her hands at her hips and stared at the light blue eyes in front of her. " That is what you said."  
  
     "You don't understand." Jonny took a step forward. " I have a bad feeling about this guy."  
  
"Why?" Jessie crossed her arms and raised a her thin red brow.  
  
     "I can't explain it." Jonny ran his hand through his bleach blond hair in frustration.  
  
     "You haven't even had a conversation with him." Jessie pointed out. "You don't have any room to say you don't trust him.  In fact, you didn't even know who he was until I told you. How can you be so quick to judge someone?"  
  
  "Instinct," Jonny smiled.  He knew it was the wrong thing to say as he heard himself say it.  But it was the truth.  
  
     "Well," Jessie started towards the door of his room. "That isn't good enough."  
  
     Jonny watched his red head friend as she left his room, closing the door behind her.  He sat on the end of his bed and looked down at Bandit, who sat silently as he and Jessie argued.  
  
     "I don't know boy." Jonny sighed.  
  
"Am I interrupting?"  
  
Jonny nearly left his skin. He suddenly found himself on his feet and staring into violet eyes.  
  
     "I'm sorry to startle you." Alleyah began as she stood in the doorway. "It wasn't closed all the way and I'm afraid I over heard you and Jessica a moment ago. Is everything all right?"  
  
      "No," Jonny sat down again.  His heart was still beating rapidly within his chest. His breath had literally been knocked out of him as he looked at Alleyah who wore a stunning saree that flattered her petite figure.  
  
     "I didn't hear you." Jonny regained himself slowly.  
  
"Right," Alleyah replied as she shut the door and walked without sound to a chair next to Jonny's bed.  "It was about Marcus?"  
  
     "Yes," Jonny relaxed and a watched as Bandit jumped up in Alleyah's lap and snuggled up to her as if he'd done it a thousand times before. " I guess you over heard that."  
  
     "Voices carry in silent hallways," she replied as she began to pet Bandit on the head. Jonny noticed the gold ring on her finger.  
  
     "He asked her to dinner. The guy is, " Jonny searched for the right words.  He wanted to try and phrase it better then when he tried to explain it to Jessie.  
  
"Dark," Alleyah replied.  
  
     "Yes," Jonny's eyes lit up and he leaned closer to Alleyah and lowered his voice. "He gives off a cold feeling that I have never felt before.  Trust me, I've been around."  
  
     The corner of Alleyah's lips turned up slightly and she looked down at Bandit.  
  
     "I don't mean it like that." Jonny defended.  Could Alleyah have such a sense of humor?  The thought intrigued him.  
  
"I know the history of 'The Quest's' and their adventures," she replied softly. Her voice was calm and soft. Jonny felt as if they had some how reached a common ground.  He felt as though they had suddenly become friends with the simple fact that they both disliked Marcus.  
  
     "Marcus just rubs me the wrong way," Jonny sighed to himself. He briefly remembered the look on Hadji's face when Marcus referred to Alleyah as Leyah. "I can't find the words to explain it.  I just feel like everything suddenly got complicated the minute Marcus got here."  
  
     Jonny looked up to see a distant look in Alleyah's violet eyes.  Her expression was stone cold and her beautiful eyes looked beyond him and his room.  
  
"I think you are very perceptive to the situation at hand," she replied after a moment of silence.  
  
      "Jonny?"  
  
     Jonny looked towards the door as it opened before he could respond.  
  
  
  
"Oh," Hadji stared blankly at Jonny then to Alleyah. "Am I interrupting anything?"  
  
     "No," Jonny stood up nervously.  He suddenly realized how bad it must appear.  He was alone in his bedroom with the door shut, on his bed, talking to Alleyah who sat silently in a chair inches away from him.  "No big deal."  
  
"Jessie told me you were rather upset." Hadji replied. His expression was still stunned and his eyes were filled with questions.  
  
"We had a disagreement," Jonny sat back down and sighed to himself.  
  
"His dinner invitation to Jessie?" Hadji asked with small smile. It appeared that his two friends were still running in circles, at least where their feelings were concerned.  
  
"I don't trust the guy Hadji." Jonny kept his eyes on the wood floor. Alleyah said nothing, as she continued to stroke Bandit on the head.  
  
     "You just met him, my friend." Hadji pointed out with a small smile.  
  
     "I know that." Jonny muttered under his breath. He had already gone this route with Jessie and didn't feel like explaining himself again. "He makes me nervous."  
  
     "Jonny?" Hadji placed a firm hand on his brother's shoulder and looked down at him calmly.  
  
     "I'm okay." Jonny looked up with his all American smile. "Really, I'm going to take a walk."  
  
  
  
"If you say so, my friend." Hadji watched Jonny's back as he walked away.  There was an off beat in Jonny's stride that confirmed what Hadji already knew.  It wasn't all right.  
  
     Hadji turned to face Alleyah, only to find she was no longer in the chair. Only Bandit sat there looking back at him.  In fact, as his eyes looked around the room and back to the door that was the only way to enter or leave.  Alleyah wasn't anywhere. It was as though she disappeared.  
  
      'What is going on?' Hadji was filled with a growing anxiety that spread from his heart to his entire chest. Something wasn't right and he didn't know what it was. 


	14. The Date cont.

Jessie looked down at her hunter green colored gown. The dress was a lovely slip style gown.  When she'd gone shopping with her mother almost a year ago.  Jessie had spotted the dress hanging in the display window.  She remembered when she first tried it on, she felt as though she were trying to sneak into someone else's skin.  The beautiful material and the stunning image in the mirror, did not reflect the tomboy everyone knew.  The 'tomboy' Jessie had always been satisfied being until then.  
  
      'Nothing wrong with being different once in a while.' Jessie repeated to herself as her mother gladly paid for the dress.  
  
     The clerk carefully wrapped the dress, pulling the plastic bag over the hanger and tied it neatly at the bottom. For the next year that's where the dressed stayed.  
  
Sometimes she would take it out and look at the foreign garment. She at first tried to image the look on Hadji's face if he were to ever see her in it.  But her mind always wandered to the person in the shadows. The bleach trademark hair and big blue eyes.  It made her heart skip a beat.  
  
      'Stupid Jonny.'  Jessie came back to reality and continued to fix her thick red hair.  'He probably would say something ignorant or nothing at all.'  
  
 Jessie froze and looked at her reflection.  It hurt. Hurt in a way she didn't think it would. What if he never said anything to her?  
  
      'It doesn't matter.' Jessie straightened herself and smiled.  She wasn't wearing the dress for Hadji or Jonny. She never imagined the first chance she would have to wear it, would be for a dinner with a  
  
Count.  
  
     "All right Bannon," Jessie spoke cooly. "It's just a dinner.  Have fun. For once you're around a guy that sees you as a woman and not one of 'The' guys."  
  
      'A woman?' Jessie smiled.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello?" Jonny picked up the phone a servant had brought him.  
  
     "Hey Jonny," Race's voice came through the receiver loud and clear. "How's it going?"  
  
     "Good, how are you and dad?" Jonny asked curiously.  
  
     "All right," Race's voice had a slight edge in it. " I don't know why it was such a big rush for the doc to come here. Seems things are running kind of slow. His friend Dr. Mathews, has been keeping him busy but it doesn't feel right."  
  
     "You think there's something else?" Jonny sat in a nearby chair. "Let me know if you need any help."  
  
     "We're fine kid." Race almost laughed. "It isn't that. I don't think anything will happen.  I guess I'm just a little anxious.  Been kind of slow lately."  
  
     "I don't know," Jonny replied. "I have a feeling that may be changing soon."  
  
  
  
" What do you have?" Race's voice became low.  
  
     "Count Marcus from Spain." Jonny looked up and down the room. No one was near.  He lowered his voice even further. " I don't like this guy.  I tried to get information on him but nothing came up."  
  
     "Hmmm, Count Marcus?" Race repeated.  
  
     "Alleyah doesn't seem to be a fan of his either.  I don't know what their history is but I bet it's interesting. He calls her Leyah."  
  
     "I'll see what I can do on my end." Race replied. "Just keep your eyes pealed and play it cool."  
  
  "Thanks Race," Jonny paused for a moment. He decided not to tell Race Jessie was having dinner with Marcus. It was something she should do. If he was wrong, Jessie would never forgive him for jumping the gun and running to her dad.  
  
     "I'll call you later." Race hung up and Jonny sat in silence.  
  
   
  
      'Any minute now.' Jonny thought to himself. 'Any minute now, Jessie's going to come down the stairs to meet that jerk in the garden and there isn't anything I can do about it.' 


	15. The Date cont.

Jessie felt as though she was floating in a dream.  The moment the Count took her hand into his strong arm, the world was surreal and bent around just the two of them.  
  
     'Focus Jessie!' She looked across her dinner and into Marcus' soft eyes. She had planned to use this opportunity to find out about his relationship with Alleyah, but Marcus was extremely elegant in words and always managed to sway the conversation back onto her.  
  
     "Tell me," Marcus began softly. " What do you plan to do with yourself this next year?"  
  
     "I'm going to spend the rest of my summer with my mother." Jessie began.  " I thought about college but I've decided to take a year off and do an expedition in Australia with Dr. Quest."  
  
     "You're quite ambitious.  That's very attractive," Marcus smiled slyly and melted Jessie's insides in the process. " I sense there's another reason you wish to be so far from your home.  Is there?"  
  
     "I don't know. . ."  Jessie bit her lip and suddenly felt small.  
  
     "There's a sadness in you that runs deep."  He leaned in and drank in her dark secret as though he was sipping wine.  
  
     "Well," Jessie caught her hand shaking and quickly slid her hands under the table and rested them in her lap.  
  
"I'd like to hear your story."  His voice was seductive and circled her ears as a hot soft whisper.  
  
   
  
     "I had a really good friend in high school.  Her name was Claire." Jessie smiled as she said her friends name.  Smiled because the mention of the name brought up images of Claire smiling. "She was murdered."  
  
      
  
"I'm sorry to hear," he replied gently.  
  
     "It happened just before senior year." Jessie found herself wiping tears away.  Tears she thought she'd run out of a year ago. "She was strangled to death.  They never found the killer."  
  
     "Horrid," Marcus reached his hand across the table and Jessie took it. "I'm so sorry."  
  
     "It was the only time in my life I ever felt defeated," Jessie admitted. "With all are gadgets and resources, we couldn't find Claire's killer."  
  
    "Shhh. . ." Marcus squeezed her hand and closed his eyes. "I will give you something."  
  
     Jessie's lips parted and she felt a warmth run through her hand.  A warm sensation climbed her insides and raised the hair on her skin.  A foreign entity melded with her own and for a brief moment passed over her heart.  
  
'You can't have her. '  
  
     Marcus let go clearly stunned and surprised by what had happened.  
  
    Jessie sat puzzled and dazed.  The voice had come from in her by another person?  
  
    'I'm losing my mind.'  Jessie closed her eyes and felt swept away by the sudden pull of the warmth that had entered her.  It was now decaying and turned her cold.  She had been deceived somehow but wasn't sure.  
  
     The room went black.  
  
     "Jessie?"  Marcus voice reached her and she slowly opened her eyes.  
  
     "What happened?" Jessie asked as Marcus helped her to sit up.  
  
     "You passed out," he replied breathless.  "I'm sorry I pushed about your friend."  
  
     "I'm okay," Jessie replied as she felt her head.  She felt as though she had been freed from a trance.  Marcus was no longer as she had seen him before.  She couldn't explain it but she did know she wanted to go home. The worst part was she didn't want to admit it but Jonny may have been right.   
  
    "I'm so sorry."  Marcus steadied Jessie as he escorted her to a vacant balcony for air.  
  
     "I'm feeling better, really."  Jessie welcomed the cool evening air on her warm cheeks.  She could already feel her head becoming clearer.  They sat at a table and looked over the city in a brief silence.  
  
     "Do you enjoy India?"  Marcus asked changing the subject, much to Jessie's relief.  
  
     "It's different." Jessie took a deep breath and felt as though what happened moments ago was a dream.  "I haven't had much opportunity to see the sites."  
  
     Jessie laughed slightly and Marcus covered her fingers that still rested in the crook of his arm with his hand, as his cool calm eyes rested into hers.  
  
     "What is it?"  he asked curiously.   
  
     "The 'opportunity' part.  I've been to India several times, especially in the last year but I've never been able to just see the sites." Jessie noticed how close they were to each other and realized she didn't mind  
  
"What would you like to see?" Marcus turned his handsome face upto the clear velvet night sky that was filled with meek stars as they touched the fine darkness.  None of them seemed brighter then Marcus' eyes that glowed in a light different then Alleyah's.  
  
     "I suppose the Taj Mahal."  Jessie bit her lower lip and rememberedthe pictures Dr. Quest had shown her when he had visited the Taj Mahal over twenty years ago.  
  
     "Jessica?" Marcus' voice melted away her thoughts. " Are you a romantic?"  
  
     "Maybe." Jessie blushed slightly.  
  
     "The Taj Mahal was built by a prince for his wife.  He thought she was so beautiful that he wanted the world to know of her after she died in childbirth." Marcus smiled at Jessie and she watched his lips as he spoke.  "A love so strong that it inspired one of the most beautiful buildings ever to be made."  
  
     "Yes," Jessie turned suddenly. It wasn't like she wanted him to kiss her.'Do I?' Jessie's heart sank.  This wasn't the person she imagined herself kissing.  'Focus Bannon!' Try and find out about Alleyah and Marcus! " I've heard the story.  She must have been extraordinary."  
  
     "She was a jewel of her time, no doubt." Marcus replied.  
  
     "I've settled for the immediate area." Jessie added.  "Jonny and I were planning to go out tomorrow.  I tried to talk Alleyah into joining us but she declined. I'm afraid I might have pushed my luck with her."  
  
     "What do you mean?" Marcus looked at her with a curious expression.  Jessie felt herself become uneasy.  
  
     "We ended up briefly discussing her mother."  Jessie smiled. "I know now that, that isn't a good topic."  
  
     "No," Marcus agreed.  "Her mother tried to kill her." 


	16. The Date cont.

"What?" Jessie's voice cracked in disbelief. "What do you mean?"  
  
     "Ishtar was an evil, manipulative woman." Marcus' voice remained light.  It was as if he enjoyed telling a shocking story.  Jessie was numb.  
  
     "I don't know what you mean."  Jessie raised her brow.  Surely Neela would have mentioned whether or not Ishtar had had some kind of break down?  Wouldn't she?  Or is this what she was trying to stay so vague about?   
  
   "It must have been devastating for her to have such a devastatingly beautiful child.  Even Haresh, the Sultan, fussed over her attention."  Marcus faced Jessie and leaned in as he whispered.  
  
"Her parent's house sits near a cliff with a magnificent view.  One evening, just as the sun had started to set, a servant saw Ishtar flat on her stomach with her hand out stretched over the edge of the cliff.  As the servant approached she realized Alleyah had fallen off the cliff and was barely holding on to a branch.  After much commotion, another servant was able to reach the three year old and bring her up to the safety of her grandmother's arms."  
  
"It doesn't sound to me like her mother tried to kill her." Jessie repliedas she searched his face closely with her deep green eyes.  She found only his cool manner and soft smile. "She was trying to reach her.  Why do you think she was trying to kill her?"  
  
     "That story was the servant's version.  Alleyah's recant of the episode is very different."  Marcus looked around and continued when he was certain they were alone. "Alleyah recalls her mother pushing her.  By fate, her small fingers caught the limb, which saved her life.  Her mother knelt down on the ground and whispered as she placed her hand inches away, 'Let go Alleyah, these hands want to be free of you.'  
  
     Alleyah was tolerable as a future wife to a Sultan, but when Hadji disappeared, Alleyah was merely a thorn in her mother's side. A thorn with no purpose."  
  
  
  
Jessie sat in silence.  She had absolutely nothing to say to that.  Marcus sighed and returned his serene face to the night sky.  
  
     "Some beautiful women inspire men to build monuments and speak words of love that outlast them in forms of poetry and song."  Marcus whispered. "Some inspire men to kill and die for them."  
  
     "Is she that, to you?  Alleyah?" Jessie asked boldly. "Does she mean that much to you?"  
  
     "I have done much more then graze death for Leyah." Marcus spokewith a cold tone but realized his odd behavior and challenged her.  "Would you not face that for Jonny or Hadji?"  
  
    'Yes,' Jessie thought to herself. In fact, she had risked her life several times.  'But they're my friends.  What is Alleyah to you?'  
  
"Don't think so hard about everything Jessie." Marcus replied gently. "I am a man allowed to keep my secrets."  
  
      'He knows I'm trying.  I'm not going to get anywhere this way.'  Jessie closed down her mind and smiled  
  
A light 'clink' as something dropped, making them both jump.  She and Marcus combed the patio with half lit candles.  Jessie paused when her left hand moved over a small cold metal object.  The small piece was so thin it slid right under the leg of her chair without her moving it.  
  
     'He didn't!' Jessie cautiously slid the familiar object into her hand and silently cursed to herself.  
  
     "I don't think I'm missing anything." Marcus replied rather confusedas he checked his pockets. " I don't know what the noise could have been."  
  
     "I'm fine too."  Jessie lied as she carefully concealed the metal piece in her hand until she could get to her purse without the Count noticing.  
  
     "It has been an interesting evening."  Marcus admitted with a smile.  "You're an absolute delight.  I appreciate you spending your evening with me."  
  
     "I've enjoyed myself."  Jessie replied with a smile as Marcus' grayeyes seemed silver in the flicker of the candle's touch.   
  
     As Marcus slid his arm around her waist and brushed her bare skin of her back, Jessie forgot about the earlier episode when she had fainted and even forgot she had mentioned Claire to Marcus as well.  Claire was something she couldn't even talk to Jonny about and he was there when it happened.  
  
     Marcus lips gently brushed her cheek and a hot flash spread through out her entire body.  Jessie closed her eyes and held the moment briefly before opening them.  Marcus stood with a pleased  
  
expression and a noticeable glint in his eyes.  
  
"Are you ready to return?"  he whispered.  
  
     "Yes," Jessie squeezed her purse and slid the metal bug into her bag as she led them out of the restaurant.  'Jonny Quest!  You are really going to get an ear full when I get back!'  
  
  
  
  
  
End of Part Two 


	17. Morning After

**Part Three  
**  
  
  
  
  


  
            White ghost face, held under the water with the fingers of tree limbs. Eyes opened and staring back at the one who brought her to this place. Lips pressed and swollen forever closed. The line. The line still circling her neck, still pressing her skin. In this place. This place.  
  
            This place.  
  
            The dying.  
  
            Claire.  
  
            Jessie shot up in bed. Her heart thundered in her ears and her feelings raged so loudly inside that Jessie could barely keep herself together. She _had_ to hold herself in place. Had to keep herself from coming undone.  
  
            Claire was dead. She knew that.  
  
            _'I shouldn't have brought it up at dinner._' Jessie took a few deep breaths as she rationalized her nightmare. '_It's just been so long.'_  
  
            It was almost nice. Not losing Claire. That had been Hell. Pure Hell. It was just, all she did 'was' talk about it. She couldn't stop. Then her family over reacted and she realized she needed to keep it to herself. She needed to keep it inside.  
  
            It hurt Jonny. Claire had been his friend too. It hurt to hear Jessie ramble on and on trying to glue all the pieces together. In order to do that, she had needed every horrible detail of Claire's death. Every moment. She needed to drown in the river and stare up at the sky just as Claire had.  
  
            _'STOP IT!'_ Jessie felt her heart try to leap from her chest with pain. She had to stop it.  
  
            The Bastard had gotten away.  
  
            Jessie looked at the sunlight as it reached across the burgundy carpet. She took in the detail of the fabric drapes and elegant paintings that hung in her room. She focused on the detail of the woodwork of her furniture.  
  
            She had to let Claire go. For now.  
  
            Jessie untangled her legs from the twisted bed sheets and padded across the floor to the bathroom. She was going to be sick.  
  
            She sprinkled the cold water from the sink onto her face and neck. She looked at her reflection and saw the yellow translucent skin and sunken eyes. She looked horrible. She 'felt' horrible.  
  
            _'Probably coming down with something._' Jessie walked back to her bed and looked at the small travel clock. 2:30? How did she sleep so long?  
  
            Jessie looked at the bed. She actually felt as though she could crawl right back into it and sleep until the next day.  
  
            '_I just need to eat something.'_ Jessie threw her hair up into a loose ponytail and pulled on her jeans. She smoothed out her beige top and took a deep breath just before she opened her bedroom door.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
            Jonny stood quietly in the hallway his ice blue eyes unwavering from the door in front of him. Who could still see Jessie's green eyes as she glared at him last night. She had been so mad when she found a bug in her purse. She had refused to acknowledge him.  
  
            Jonny shifted his weight and leaned against the wall. She had every right to be mad. Bugging someone to hear their conversation was low.  
  
            The problem?  
  
            He wasn't the one who put it there. But he had an idea of how it got there. The question now was why?  
  
            No more games. Jonny watched as the doorknob turned. He wanted answers.


	18. Morning After cont.

Hadji stood quietly in his office and gazed out the window. He looked past the garden and the servants. He slipped deep inside of himself, troubled.  
  
His home seemed troubled. Hadji couldn't place his finger on it but there was this negative energy manipulating the flow of life. He'd sensed it when he was meditating before bed. It was a dark shadow without a face that had swallowed all of them whole.  
  
Hadji took a sip of coffee and sat down. Alleyah was troubled as well. It wasn't the look on her tranquil face or the way she moved, it was in her music. Every evening she practiced her violin and every evening Hadji listened. Last night was different. The notes were sad and soft. She had sensed it too.  
  
Alleyah's music.  
  
Hadji closed his eyes and inhaled. He'd dreamed of her every night since she arrived. It started with the music replaying itself in his mind as he laid in bed.  
  
The music had teased the hidden places of his heart, mind, soul. . . and body.  Hadji wanted to be the music.  He wanted to be allowed to breath out into the soft forbidden ear and flow down the spine as a soft gentle stroke of emotion.  
  
After such passionate cries from the violin, from Alleyah's fingers, from her heart, Hadji would dream.  The dreams were always the same.  
  
              In his dreams Hadji could hear her violin all over again as it smoothed out down the hall and surrounded him.  The high notes lifted his heart and the low notes left him in quiet despair.  The gentle climax of the soft melody was like the arms of the song reaching out.  Reaching to be embraced.  The dying low tone of the deep sound was the emptyness, the aloneness that haunted and made the broken lost.  
  
That was when he found her. He cradled her to him and felt the length of her body as it lined perfectly with his hard form. He could feel her skin pressed onto his. Her black raven hair covered his bare chest and her cheek gently rested above his heart. His fingers moved over her back, tracing her spine and molding her hips to his. He could pull her so close that her inhale was his exhale.  
  
The heat rose to the surface, need pounded and pulsed through his veins. He couldn't pull her close enough to him. His hands tangled her hair as her fingers delicately traced the strong jaw of his face, stopping at his mouth.  
  
From these dreams, Hadji never wanted the morning to come. To know within his heart there was one place he could touch her and keep her safe, was all he wanted.  
  
Last night had been different. Last night he'd lost her.  
  
In his embrace Alleyah cringed and he felt her body crumble. She evaporated from his arms and vanished with a mournful sigh on her lips. Empty space, a cruel cold replacement for what he had before tore at his insides leaving him cold. Then she appeared. An eternity stood between them. The sky became angry. . . aggressive, biting with lightening and growling with thunder.  Fire and ice collided and shattered into pieces.  
  
              Alleyah fell into the black velvet night.  Hadji tried to lunge for her.  Arms out stretched.  Fingers searching for raven black hair, to graze rose petal soft lips, to melt into violet eyes, to inhale what is exhaled in so doing, becoming one.  
  
Alleyah was gone.  She was consumed in dark cold shadows and death.   
  
Hadji opened his eyes and returned his attention back to the window. He believed in his heart Alleyah was his. The nightmare was unnerving with everything else going on. What was left for him to do if he couldn't even keep her safe within himself?  
  
Hadji sat quietly and finished his coffee. 


	19. The Offer

The Offer 

            "Jessica?"

            Jessie turned, startled by the voice when she had not noticed anyone in the hallway when she left her room.  Count Marcus leaned leisurely against the doorframe right across from her bedroom.  His black hair was unbound and partially covered the right side of his face, casting shadows.  His eyes seemed to glow but Jessie couldn't focus on them. His hands were in his suit pockets and Jessie felt very sloppy next to him.

            "Good afternoon," she managed weekly.

            "Are you feeling all right?"  Marcus voice seemed to have fingers as the deep velvet sound moved through her and tickled her heart.

            "I'm fine, really," Jessie smiled. "I think I might be coming down with a cold.  I feel a little sluggish today."

            Marcus glided towards her in smooth even strides.  His eyes were unwavering and consumed her with their mystery. 

            "I hope this has nothing to do with our discussion last night."  His voice was the soft and full of regret.

            "Of course not!" Jessie stepped back.  "This _cold_ is probably why I passed out.  Please don't worry about it.  I'll just take it easy for the next few days."

            Marcus smiled at her explanation and joined her as she walked down to the breakfast room.

            "I'm glad that I did not cause you discomfort," he replied.  "I know our topic was _sensitive_."

            "Claire," Jessie breathed out her friends name and it tore at her as she allowed it to escape into the air. "I've talked about Claire before.  It hurts but she was a good friend.  On some days I could talk about her for hours, on others I can't even look at her picture.  At home, there isn't anyone to talk to about her."

            "Do you not speak to Jonathon?"  Marcus gave her a surprised side ways glance.

            "I did," Jessie stopped walking and looked into Marcus' warm eyes. "I did at first, but it was hard for Jonny too.  Claire was _our _friend."

            "But she belonged to you," he replied softly.  "She was close to you, she was what Jonny and Hadji could never be for you."

            Jessie's jaw dropped and her lip trembled.  

            "She belonged to you," he repeated softly.  "Women have a connection to the heart that I'm afraid men have not.  A women's friendships are deep and complicated.  Just as good friendships are.  She had a part of you that Jonny and Hadji will never _get_, so to speak."

            "Yes," Jessie looked down.  Claire did belong to her.  Did.  Her eyes filled with tears and fell silently.

            "I will be more then happy to listen to you tell me about Claire." Marcus tilted her chin up and wiped her cheeks with the back of his hand.

            "Thank you," Jessie suddenly became aware that she was too close to Marcus and stepped back.  She laughed from embarrassment and quickly wiped her tears away.

            "Perhaps I can help."

            Jessie froze.  _Help?_  _No, no one can help._

            "I don't think anyone can help me.  Unless they can tell me who did it."  Jessie crossed her arms.  "I just need time to let go.  Claire wouldn't want me to hold on like this."

            "Let go?  Maybe because you had no options." Marcus looked at her thoughtfully. "I have my own resources.  Perhaps I  can help you find the person responsible."

            Jessie felt her heart leap at the possibilities.  Her eyes grew large and hopeful as Marcus smiled at her gently.

            "I would not offer something if I did not think I could make a difference," he whispered and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "But I do not want to harm you or upset you either.  If letting go is what you want. . ."

            "No," Jessie gasped and brought a hand to her chest as though she could slow her racing heart with the touch. "I would be better if I knew the truth.  Closure."

            "Closure," Marcus echoed. "Closure is important if we are to be the people we are meant to be, we need closure to understand fully where we have been."

            "My dad and Dr. Quest have a lot of resources. . ."  Jessie grabbed at her mind and tried to stay realistic even as the hope lit up her need to get to the truth, completely overwhelming all sensible thought.

            "I have my own." Marcus smiled down at her and gestured to the breakfast room.

            Jessie felt her body tighten and come to life.  She had only dead ends where Claire's investigation was concerned, could Marcus really make a difference?   Was it too much to hope for?

            "Let's keep this between the two of us," Marcus requested gently. "If Claire is a sensitive subject that Jonathon has trouble hearing about her, knowing that I'm encouraging you to investigate will not make me popular."

            "Don't worry," Jessie smiled widely. "Jonny doesn't need to know."

            Marcus returned her smile and they both sat together as Jessie ate a small lunch.


	20. Monsters

**Monsters**

            _How long will you force this out?_

_            I force nothing.  You are pursuing this needlessly._

_            Enough Leyah.  You are degrading yourself by hiding behind these simple people._

_            I do not hide._

_            You think you can hide your feelings from me by denying them to yourself._

Alleyah froze and felt cold as Marcus words hit her.  He sensed this and continued his mental conversation.

            _That's a lovely ring you are wearing.  Is it from the Sultan?_

            Alleyah opened her eyes and looked down at the small ring.  She could not deny Hadji.

            _I will not allow him to touch you without consequences._

            Before Alleyah could reply Marcus cut himself off from her and returned his attention to Jessica.  Alleyah felt the darkness left behind as a growing shadow over her soul.  She was tired of running.  Tired of trying to deny her heart so to hide herself from Marcus.  

            Alleyah paused.  Someone was outside her bedroom door.  She rose slowly and walked to the large ebony door, placing her palm on it.  

Jonathon was on the other side.

            Alleyah opened the door and stepped out.

            "Alleyah," Jonny approached her immediately blocking her from leaving her room.

            Alleyah watched him closely.  His blue eyes were in constant movement, urgency that dove close to desperation poured out of him and collided with her sensitive perception, nearly pushing her away.

            "I didn't mean to startle you," Jonny began quickly as he looked up and down the hall.

            That was a lie.  Alleyah looked down.  He was already desperate.

            "Do you need to talk?"  She stepped aside and gestured for him to come, which he did with a sigh.

            "Thank you," Jonny sat down at the end of the loveseat and began combing threw his hair with his nervous fingers.  Alleyah silently slid into the chair across from him and watched.

            Jonny looked across from him and immediately fell into the depth of Alleyah's eyes.  They seemed to be speaking to him on a different level.  It felt like a gently hand was slowly calming his mind.

            "I need to know about Marcus," Jonny began.  "I need to know who he is.  I know he's bad news but I don't know why.  Now he's hanging out with Jessie and things seem to be happening.  I know he's behind it, I just don't understand how or why."

            "Marcus?" Alleyah leaned forward and rested her arms on her knees.  Her black hair slid down and covered the slight opening of her satin top. "Tell me."

            Jonny creased his brows in confusion.  This wasn't a game for her to riddle with him.  He needed answers.  He needed them now.

            "I don't know."  He looked away from her.  Her violet eyes were doing something to him.

            "Yes, you do," she used her voice and it claimed the air with glided perfection.  Jonny returned to her and stayed within her eyes.

            Nothing moved.  Nothing went beyond the space of Jonny and Alleyah.  Her eyes pulled him in and the room became a soft blur of insignificance.

            "I don't," Jonny replied softly.  He was caught in the warmth Alleyah was projecting.  He was calming down.  Why had he been so desperate before?  He could handle this.  He and Jessie had been through a lot together.  They would get through this too.

            "You do not need to know who he is," Alleyah whispered, silk falling from her lips continuing to calm. The glint in his eyes returned and she knew Jonathon was more himself again.  "You need only know what he is."

            "What?" Jonny looked at her carefully.

            Reality snapped back for Jonny and the room came back into focus once again.  The colors seemed brighter, the sounds from the gardens, the people laughing.  He could hear them again.

            "Tell me," Alleyah sat back in her chair.  "Do you believe in monsters?"


End file.
